County commission appoints new committee members

At the regular called meeting of the White County Board of Commissioners, on Sept. 21, 2020, the board elected new officers and appointed new committee members for the 2020/2021 operating year.

After opening the meeting and taking care of standard order of business, the 2019/2020 chairman, Cain Rogers, took a moment to thank the commissioners for all of the work during the past year and their trust in him as chairman.

“It’s been an honor to serve the people of White County and this county legislative body over the past year,” Rogers said before opening the floor to nominations for a new chairperson.

Stanley Neal was promptly nominated for the position of chairperson and subsequently unanimously elected. In addition, Terry Alley was unanimously elected as vice-chairman, while Lanny Selby was elected as parliamentarian.

“Thank you all for your confidence in me. I look forward to the next year,” Neal said after he and Rogers officially switched seats and he assumed his position as chairman and took over officiating the remaining portion of the meeting.

The board then approved resolutions appointing commissioners to committees as recommended by the 2019/2020 nominating committee. Those appointments were as follows:

• Beer Board: Dillard Quick, Bobby McCulley, Robert McCormick
• Agricultural Committee: Terry Alley, Lonnie Crouch, T.K. Austin
• Solid Waste Committee: Andy Haston, T.K. Austin, Robert McCormick, Lanny Selby, Dillard Quick, Lee Broyles, Bobby McCulley
• White County Fair Board: Roger Mason
• Budget Committee: Cain Rogers, Bobby McCulley, Andy Haston, Stanley Neal, and Denny Wayne Robinson (county executive)
• Financial Management Committee: Robert McCormick, Lee Broyles, Lanny Selby, Dillard Quick, Clay Parker (road superintendent), Kurt Dronebarger (director of schools), and Denny Wayne Robinson (county executive)

Audit Committee: Cain Rogers, Andy Haston, Bobby McCulley, Stanley Neal and Michael Lewis (White County resident)

• Purchasing Committee: Lonnie Crouch, Lanny Selby
• Steering Committee A: Cain Rogers, Terry Alley, Lonnie Crouch, Lanny Selby, Dillard Quick, Lee Broyles, Bobby McCulley
• Steering Committee B: Andy Haston, Robert McCormick, Dale Bennett, Stanley Neal, T.K. Austin, Dakota White, Roger Mason
• White County Library Board: Dale Bennett
• Nominating Committee: Cain Rogers, Terry Alley, Robert McCormick, Lanny Selby, Dale Bennett, Lee Broyles, Stanley Neal

As well as electing new officers and appointing 2020/2021 committee members, the board also unanimously passed a few  resolutions. Among those resolutions included one to make appropriations for 2021 Capital Projects, specifically the bridge replacement on Roberts-Matthews Highway; a resolution to amend the 2021 Highway/Public Works Fund specifically to address the landslide on White Oak Flatt Road; and a resolution to amend the 2021 General Fund, which includes several items related to COVID-19.

“The majority of it is federal money just passing through the state,” Chad Marcum said, informing the board about a question as to whether there would be a reimbursement for money spent in response to the pandemic.

Before the meeting was adjourned, the board also discussed the ongoing U.S. Census.

The deadline for self-responding, which according to executive assistant Kim England takes an individual between three and five minutes to complete, is Sept. 30, after which households that have not responded will begin receiving visits from census-takers in an attempt to get an accurate count of the county’s population.